The Dragon has Landed

I told you my wife and I have been up to something at Amazon. You've been patient.

Your patience is about to be rewarded. Look what we found:

Finally in our hands and soon to be on yours. We're taking pictures, running tests and finalizing our Amazon listing.

The big surprise: they're better than we thought. They're thicker and more durable that our initial samples. 

Can your gloves withstand this?

Yes, I put my hand on the stove, turned it up to High and left it there for a half minute or more. It wasn't hot. We had enough pictures and I was getting bored.

Can your gloves do this?

Yeah, I got the chimney starter going as hot as I could then picked it up. I held it long enough to get a few dozen pictures. Then I dumped the coals into the barbecue not because of the heat.

I had to make some ribs.

In the kitchen, at the barbecue, on the grill or over the campfire we know heat protection is #1. But cut resistance is nice, too, so we incorporated Para-Aramid fibers like those found in bulletproof vests, fencing uniforms and motorcycle armor.

Not only can you do this:

But the gloves are extra durable. Those fibers aren't going to wear out.

My Gorgeous Illustrator doesn't like it when we use this joke:

Will Dragon Knuckle gloves stop a bullet? Yes, if it's thrown at you.

(Our legal team doesn't suggest you try to stop a bullet if it's shot at you. Avoid those kinds of parties.)

If you're thinking about putting your own products for sale on Amazon, have one free lesson on us. Remember the last picture? Amazon frowns on weapons in product pictures even if they prove a point.

That picture with the knife may not be allowed in the final cut.

How do we celebrate the arrival of our Dragon Knuckle gloves? How do you think?

Jerky's in the oven right now. Do you need Meta-Aramid gloves when you're only cooking at 170?

No, but I'm on a beef jerky diet.

Seriously. More on that later.

The Poet with Dragon Knuckles

Dragon Knuckle Day is on the way.

My Gorgeous Illustrator and I, acting on training from my new employer, are going into business for ourselves on Amazon.

If you've been reading this blog for any time you know if I'm not writing and she's not drawing, we're cooking. So something food related was natural.

Want to know more about the product? Check out DragonKnuckle.com.

And please help us out with any chatter and exposure you can provide. As new business people, we'd appreciate it tremendously.

Gratitude and BBQ love will be your reward.

And if you'd like to help us further or go into business yourself, contact us directly.

Have a recipe or BBQ story to share with Dragon Knuckle? Let us know.

Keep it Roasting.

Amazon and On and On...

I've been writing. If you haven't seen it, it's because I've been writing for John Rood, Kibly and the Azon Academy.

Emails, product descriptions, blog pieces and all sorts of things detailing how John grew his business and how he coaches other people.

I must be good at it, because I convinced myself.

My wife and I started his Azon Academy training. We researched products, worked with manufacturers, designed a product and now it's on its way. Our first shipment is being manufactured right now and it will be for sale soon.

Here's a video about my experience so far:

Do I think you should do it? Maybe. If you want to build your brand, sell products and create an income on your own schedule independent of workplace, then yes.

It's a lot of work at first. It's not for dumb people unable to learn. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme, but it doesn't take to long.

You know I don't trust a lot of people, but John and his team are some non-horsecrap people who want to sell and help people sell.

My whole point of getting into freelance writing was to make a living wherever and whenever. This is that, just a subtle shift of direction.

Don't worry. I still get to write. I'll share my product page soon and I'm having some fun with it.

My Gorgeous Illustrator and I both get to be creative. The logo at the top of this post is hers. Follow the link to see something of mine:

Dragon Knuckle

Oh, and what am I selling? For right now I wan't to keep that as a proprietary Dragon Knuckle secret. But here's a hint:

Wait, that's the wrong picture. This one:

This is for selling physical products on Amazon. To all my ebook authors: yes, I'm thinking of us too. Somewhere in the back of my head I'm hatching a strategy for ebook success.

No, I Don't Write For Free

Image via Flickr by nociveglia

I am a mercenary writer. A word mule. My pen is on the street, hooking.

That's why I so rarely get to writing on my own blog. And strangely, with nothing written since August, October was the highest traffic month in the history of this site.

Probably some weird internet math there. It's still mostly meaningless.

Instead of a journal of what I'm up to, this has become the diary of stuff I thought I'd do.

The murder mystery is still in the works, but I don't write for free. My experience with publishing fiction and poetry tells me it's wasted effort.

Yup, that's blunt to say. But all you idealistic artists out there: learn how to make money. Do that and then you'll have the time, freedom and space to write art.

"Starving artist" is one of the most true cliches out there. That's what almost every full-time artist does. The universe doesn't pay us.

Meanwhile, I'm actually writing for money more that ever. I'm back on the Bright Hub horse and I'll put together six pieces on being an entrepreneur this month. A couple College Factual pieces, too. I have a bit going into the CopyPress blog later this month, also.

I finally landed a part-time work-from-home gig that's giving me about 20 hours a week. I write for an Amazon retailer that is branching into support and education for other retailers. I write emails, product descriptions, blog entries and whatever else. Like a true word mule.

My restaurant job is taking a seasonal down-turn. Don't look now, but I'm actually working and earning more writing from home than I am at a restaurant. I wish the hospitality job would produce more and make it a tougher competition.

It was one of my goals and now I reached it. Still not making enough to support a house and three kids, but I'm grinding.

The Marcel novel is predictably on hold. I have no time for both word-muling and creative writing. That's how it is.

Yet somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking about the ebook business. Our primary purpose at my new writing job is to help people sell physical products on Amazon.

There are many differences between selling ebooks and sprockets, but somehow the people I work with must be able to help authors too.

I'm learning everyday. I'll find a way.

Unless you have a nickel-a-word for the next paragraph, I'm stopping here. I need to get back to work.

Murder Mystery in the Works

Although no one reads the things I've written, I've never made enough money to buy a nice pen writing ebooks, no one paid attention when I performed on stage and I got a collective "whatever" from Slam judges, I still need to write.

It's a true need, like eating and mating. Through my misadventures in car sales, I never had the energy or spark. Now looking back at several months of inactivity, I got that itch. I needed to get back to work.

But at what? I have several projects I've thought about, blogged about, doodled about and scratched notes about. The one I decided to pick back up: the one with the best scenery.

Remember Marcel?

He's my sleuth. A French charter fisherman and dive guide. Here's his boat:

http://www.hatterasowners.com/Brochures/53C/53CB-0069.htm

And here's where he moors it:

You can buy it if you want.

Well, fictionally I did buy it. And I put a resort on it. Then somebody died there and it's up to Marcel to figure out who dunnit.

If Jacques Cousteau became a very reluctant Columbo, he'd be Marcel. Sort of. There's much more too him than that. I'm trying to avoid Inspector Clouseau or Pepe Le Pew. He's his own style. Mediterranean with a side of French Canadian trapper. Don't think he's Parisian or call him a frog.

"I am no frog. Frogs, they cannot tolerate salt water."

Stay tuned.